Tech question

Should you cycle with earphones in?

Listening to music while riding is controversial but the evidence regarding safety cuts both ways and a favourite tune can boost performance

Can you trust repaired carbon bike frames?

What’s the best tread pattern for winter?

With rain, frost and a heightened amount of detritus now decking the lanes, Simon Smythe researches the right rubber for winter riding

Winter bikes: do you really need one?

We investigate whether a dedicated bike for the colder season is a necessity or a luxury, and ask do you really need a winter bike?

Wet or dry: which chain lube should you use?

We get to grips with the slippery subject of choosing a chain lube

Are handbuilt wheels still worth buying?

Simon Smythe weighs up the pros and cons of getting your hoops made to order

Is your bike set-up too aggressive?

We can’t all be Geraint Thomas, so should we have a bike like his, asks Simon Smythe

Should you have float in your cleats?

We find out which type of cleats should be bolted to your shoes, and whether or not you should have float

Are stiffer soles better?

Is there more to a good cycling shoe than a super-stiff sole? James Bracey investigates…

Tubeless tyres: are you doing it properly?

Tubeless guru Malcolm Borg of The Cycle Clinic is a wheelbuilder and long-distance cyclist. This is his guide to throwing away your inner tubes

Will 13-speed save 1x on the road?

There may still be a place for 1x in the pro peloton

Has dropping the 3:1 rule made any difference to bike design?

It’s over two years since the UCI quietly scrapped its 3:1 rule for frame tube profiles. So what’s changed since?

Why don’t the pros use tubeless tyres?

They may be bombproof but tubeless tyres have yet to catch on in the ranks of the pro peloton; Simon Smythe asks why

Should the UCI relax its bike rules?

Simon Smythe reflects on the regulatory inertia that some say is stifling innovation in bike design

Do you need a smart turbo trainer?

Thanks to interactive apps, the days of staring at a garage wall are gone; but how much do you need to spend to get the most out of turbo training?

Should you change to winter tyres?

Changing to puncture-resistant tyres for the winter used to be standard practice but better rubber means it’s no longer a necessity

Are single-ring chainsets the future?

Could the simplicity and low weight of a 1x set-up outweight its flaws? Quieter, more secure, lighter — these are just some of the praises our dirt-riding brethren have been singing about single-ring set-ups.

Should you always ride with data?

We ruminate on riding against the machine: should we use data all the time when cycling?

Is 'women's specific geometry' still relevant in 2019?

Brands will always have data to back up the bikes they make - but what trends do those building bikes for individuals see?

Do you need a clutch rear derailleur?

Simon Smythe wonders whether road riders need to avoid chain slap in the same way mountain bikers do

Is the compact chainset dead?

With incredibly broad cassette ranges with larger gears now the norm, we ponder the future of compact chainsets

Do we need 12-speed groupsets?

Will yet another extra sprocket make us better cyclists? We look at the possibility of 12-speed groupsets on road bikes, and the benefits they could offer.

Hands together or hands apart: what’s faster?

Optimising aerodynamics is a trade-off between perfection and real-world versatility

Should you hire a bike or take your own when you go abroad?

Travelling with a bike is a faff, and with many destinations offering hire options, it’s never been easier to outsource your holiday machine

Does my tyre compound matter?

The lengths manufacturers go to to perfect their rubber suggest there is more to tyre make-up than meets the eye